Import of apple plants raises concern among farmers

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 8

Scared by the infectious fire blight, a bacterial disease that plague orchards in Europe, farmers have demanded that the Directorate of Horticulture must ensure that private and government agencies quarantine plant material before selling them.

Directorate of Horticulture is importing about 60,000 plants of five apple varieties and two peach varieties this year. But there are private players who are selling the plant materials directly to farmers without quarantine measures.

Farmers have raised their concerns over the blind import of apple plants raised on rootstocks as the government has no mechanism to check private importers in the state.

“Farmers are switching to new rootstock apple varieties to keep pace with the global trend in horticulture. But private importers are selling the imported plant to make money and are not checking pathogens of fire blight that can spell doom on Himachal’s Rs 4,000 crore apple industry,” said Akshay Bragta and Sachin Chauhan, apple farmers from Maroag Chopal.

Farmers said certain private companies were selling chemical products to them that controlled fire blight and codling moth.

They said pathogens of fire blight and codling moth had not been detected in the state and country so far. These pathogens could be introduced due to blind import of rootstocks and other fruit plant materials that could ruin the apple industry in the state.

“The fire blight and codling moth remain uncontrolled even in Europe, despite its advanced research. In India, there is no such treatment if the disease breaks out in plants,” Dr KD Verma, a retired professor of the Nauni University-cum-consultant of Ecohorts.

He said importer and seller must get quarantine certificate from the Plant Protection Advisor of India. There was no mechanism of inspection of private nursery as provided under the Nursery Certification and Registration Inspection Act.

On the other hand the university assures farmers that the rootstock varieties they sold were quarantined and no complaint had been received.

“We quarantined 42,000 imported plants of five varieties at our nursery last year before selling to farmers early this year,” said Dr Vijay Thakur, Vice-Chancellor, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry.

DP Bhangalia, Director, Horticulture, said they were importing 60,000 plants this year, but these would be first quarantined in the university, before selling them to farmers next year.